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INSIDE ATLAS.ti –
The QDA Newsletter
Fellow coders,
We are looking forward to bringing you great things this year.
Everyone at the Berlin headquarters is thrilled that ATLAS.ti for Mac has been so well received. The feedback we are
getting is phenomenal. We love reading comments like: “ATLAS.ti for Mac looks restrained, even sleek, and quickly
feels familiar.” It is a particular point of pride for us that nearly everyone comments on the ease of use. We develop
our products with the goal of achieving best-in-class usability while providing the complex features and capabilities
that our users need and expect.
In today’s guest article, product specialist Dr. Susanne Friese looks at Smart Codes in ATLAS.ti for Mac and how they
can be put to productive use in concrete analytical settings. She also highlights a number of other features that are
unique to the Mac version, and shares the updates you will have access to over the next few months.
What can you expect this year? We will be launching an entirely new version of ATLAS.ti for Windows. We took great
care to further enhance usability while not changing the overall layout of menus and tool bars too much. You will
smoothly transition and easily find your way around the new version, and I’m sure you will really appreciate the intuitive use and the added and enhanced features and functionality.
ATLAS.ti 8 greatly benefits from the cross-fertilization that is taking place between our development teams for Mac
and Windows and the tremendous user feedback over the years. Expect a quantum leap and get ready to take your
research to the next level when ATLAS.ti for Windows 8 comes out later this year.
For now, I wish you a good time with your projects.
Kind regards,
Jörg Hecker
Director of Business
Operations, ATLAS.ti
Newsletter 2015/1 – January 2015
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Quick News
ATLAS.ti continues to commit itself fully to the aim of providing the QDA Software with the best overall user experience
by expanding our software development staff. Also, the Mac version will see the implementation of all features that users
already know from the Windows version, yet totally adapted to the Mac world. At the same time we are also working intensively to cutting edge technologies. So, instead of channeling surplus budget into marketing, CEO Thomas Muhr has decided
that the users will always be at the center of ATLAS.ti’s efforts. The growth of the IT and support staff should be seen as a
clear signal that the company is willing to apply this strategy.
2014 was a successful year for our company: It saw a further
growing number of users, the release of the first Mac OS version, and the first ever native Android QDA software release.
The same tempo was kept up in regards to the establishment
of co-operations such as the IIQM Dissertation Award that
was initiated together with University of Alberta, and the
expansion of our support channels. For the very same reason,
our training staff will further develop its two major programs,
CAST (Certified ATLAS.ti Student Trainer Program) and CAPT
(Certified ATLAS.ti Professional Trainer Program), initiated to
bolster a better understanding of the manifold uses of our
software to our customer base. This way, ATLAS.ti ensures
that the future development of our software is driven by one
goal only: To create the best QDA user experience possible!
Researchers experienced in ATLAS.ti?
Apply to our CAPT Program!
We invite you to apply for our Certified ATLAS.ti Professional
Trainer program (CAPT). Through this program, we support researchers who are experienced in using and teaching
ATLAS.ti. Those who receive certification qualify for free
training from us and receive access to our different teaching
resources. Additionally, we invite them to join our international network of independent trainers and consultants. We
are here to support your efforts in helping researchers learn
and utilize ATLAS.ti. Join us! You may contact us at
[email protected].
New: FREE Special Topics Webinars
Starting in January, we are offering a set of free Special Topics
webinars. In these 60-minute webinars, we will introduce
users to different functionalities of ATLAS.ti Windows and
Mac. Webinars on the following topics are planned for this
semester: surveys, networks, literature review, coding strategies, approaches to analysis, and working with multi-media
documents. For a full list and dates & times, please refer to
the Special Topics tab on this page. We always welcome ideas
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from our users on what topics they would like to see included
in this series. Just let us know by writing to us at
[email protected].
Ready for download: User manual
ATLAS.ti for Mac
Working with ATLAS.ti for Mac? We just published the full
program manual that is written both for users with no prior
knowledge of working with ATLAS.ti as well as those who
have switched to the Mac version. You can view and download it here.
This Just In: Special Topics Seminar
Analysis Tools in Hannover, Germany
(Announcement in German)
Hiermit möchten wir Sie kurzfristig auf unseren ATLAS.ti
Workshop in Hannover/Wedemark am kommenden Mittwoch,
den 4. Februar, aufmerksam machen.
Dieser Workshop richtet sich an Nutzer, die schon Erfahrung im
Umgang mit ATLAS.ti erworben haben, entweder durch eigene
Projekte oder durch Teilnahme an einem Einführungskurs. Ziel
ist es, den Teilnehmern einen tieferen Einstieg in die Analysewerkzeuge und Ihre Handhabung zu vermitteln.
Der Kurs wird von Dr. Susanne Friese, Qualitative Research
& Consulting, durchgeführt. Die Teilnehmerzahl ist auf 6
Personen beschränkt. um den bestmöglichen Lernerfolg zu
erzielen.
Sollten Sie Interesse an dieser Schulungsmöglichkeit haben,
finden Sie alle weiteren Informationen in der angehängten
PDF-Datei sowie unter folgendem Link: http://atlasti.com/
de/training/premium-training/. Auf dieser Seite können Sie
sich auch anmelden.
Bitte leiten Sie diese Information auch an interessierte Kollegen oder andere ATLAS.ti-Nutzer in Ihrem Umfeld weiter.
Newsletter 2015/1 – January 2015
Smart codes and Co. — What’s new in ATLAS.ti for Mac, and how
do you best use it?
by Dr. Susanne Friese
Product Specialist, ATLAS.ti
Since the first release of the Mac version September 2014,
development has continued vigorously. By the time of
this writing, the latest version was 1.0.15 — it may already
be higher by the time you read this newsletter. Thus, new
features are added rapidly and continuously. Some of the
latest additions are:
• Output options for network views. You can now either print
network views or copy them as scalable PDF with transparency.
• Based on wide demand, the print with margin option was
added.
• The first analysis tools have been added as well: The Word
Cruncher, Smart Groups, and Smart Codes. (Below, I will
explain at greater length how to work with smart codes.)
• A new data type can now be analyzed with the Mac version: Survey import is now available.
• Features that make building a coding system easier have
been added: You can now swap codes via drag and drop,
e.g. in the process of developing sub codes and vice versa,
merge codes if you coded too close to the data and want
to develop more abstract codes. A quick coding button has
also been added.
• Working with PDF documents has become even more fluid.
Continuous scrolling is possible, as well as coding across
pages. If available in the PDF documents, the document
outline can be displayed within ATLAS.ti. Plus an easy “go
to page” button has been added to the bottom toolbar.
• You will also find many miscellaneous features that
improve the work flow, like fast grouping in managers by
right-clicking multiple items or by dragging them to the
group filter in the navigator. Look out for the “+” button to
easily split the main window, etc. etc. In addition, the developers diligently worked on performance improvements
and to clean up bugs.
To put expectations into perspective — and if you directly
compare ATLAS.ti for Mac with ATLAS.ti for Windows — there
is still some catching up to do. However, keep in mind that
the Windows version has grown over the past 20 years! When
the decision was made to develop a version for Max OS, the
goal was not to create a one-to-one copy of the Windows
version. Rather, Mac users should feel at home in terms of
look and feel of the software. This meant literally starting
Newsletter 2015/1 – January 2015
from scratch, to rethink, to reconsider, and also to change a
number of things. Based on the feedback so far, Mac users
have received this very favorably.
Windows users, too, will benefit from this approach in the
near future. With the release of ATLAS.ti 8 for Windows, a
good deal of cross-fertilization will be taking place. Ideas are
exchanged between the Mac and the Windows team, and
both learn from each other constantly. The idea is for both
versions to converge in the future, and if you know your way
around in the Mac version, you will be able to easily adjust to
the Windows version, and vice versa.
A brief note to teachers: Until version 8 for Windows is
released, it is easiest to teach either the Mac version or the
Windows version separately. I have been teaching both at the
same time, but only with the help of Click Share. This allowed
me to switch the projection of my Mac and my Windows
notebook, or to show both next to each other. The Windows
version does not have inspectors; the navigator on the left
is a fly-out window and thus less present than in the Mac
version. The comment area in the Windows version is at the
bottom of the managers; in the Mac version it is included
in the inspector. There are no focused networks in the Mac
version yet, and a lot of network view options that you may
be used to from the Windows version are not yet available.
Memos are handled differently as well. Thus, the workflow
you have developed in teaching the Windows version is likely
not to work any longer. If you are just teaching the Mac version, you can focus on the features that are already available and adjust to the way how to work within the Mac OS x
environment.
Please do consult the website from time to time and get
information on the latest developments from mac.atlasti.
com.
If your classroom setting or your project requires team work
and merging projects, please continue to use the Windows
version until team support is implemented. If projects are
to be exchanged between Mac and Windows users, please
wait for version 8 for Windows to be released. Only then will
bi-directional project exchange between Windows and Mac
become possible.
Important web addresses for getting up-to-date information on the latest developments and features are the feature comparison matrix and the update history. Visit them
frequently to know what’s happening.
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Super Codes Are Smart
In the section below, I will now introduce the concept of
smart codes. This is one area where the Mac version is one
step ahead of the Windows version. So Windows users, pay
attention!
Conceptually, smart codes are the same as the super codes
known to Windows users. They are a convenient way to store
queries. In terms of look and feel, they are similar to normal
codes, with one important difference: Instead of “hardwired”
connections to quotations, smart codes store a query to compute their virtual references whenever needed. They “automatically” change their behavior during the course of theory
building. If you have a smart code based on a query like
(Code A | Code B) COOCCUR Code C
and you add or delete quotations linked to either Code A, B or
C, then the quotations linked to the smart code will automatically be adjusted.
Figure 2: Smart code editor
Smart codes can be built from codes and code groups. As in
the Windows version, three types of operators are available:
Boolean operators, semantic operators and proximity operators. For ease of understanding, the operators are formulated
in less technical terms. On the right-hand side of Figure 3 below, the list of available operator in the Mac version and the
equivalent toolbar of the Query Tool in the Windows version
is shown. In both the Windows and the Mac manual, you find
a detailed explanation of each operator. (Click to select a user
manual: manual.atlasti.com.)
Figure 1: Difference between a code and smart code: Codes are
directly linked to quotations; smart codes are a stored query
Smart codes are displayed in the Code Manager and
in the navigator just like regular codes and can be
recognized by the filled icon (see left). The list of
quotations associated with a smart code can be
displayed by double-clicking, just as for any other code.
Smart Codes are not displayed in the margin area and as they
are stored queries they cannot be used for coding. Smart
Codes can, however, be added to code groups, to Network
Views, and, last but not least, as powerful operands in other
queries, allowing you to incrementally build complex queries.
Creating Smart Codes
To create a new smart code, select Code / New Smart Code
from the main menu. Enter a name for your smart code and
click Create. This opens the smart code editor where you can
define the conditions for your smart codes.
Figure 3: List of available operators
Example Query
As a new tool is best learned by applying it, I will show an example query below. For all readers who are used to the query
tool of the Windows version, apply your knowledge of the
operators but re-learn the ways how to build a query. If you
get the feeling that you need to do it the other way around,
you are on the right track.
The example I present is based on the children and happiness
project. You can download the project file here if you want to
click along.
If you are not yet familiar with this sample project, here is a
short description: The idea for this project was sparked by a
journal article that reviewed studies examining the relationship between happiness and having children. The results — all
based on statistical analysis — show a negative correlation
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Newsletter 2015/1 – January 2015
between measures of happiness and having children. This
was picked up by a person writing a parenting blog and she
posted it on her blog. The New York Times Magazine also
published a long article about it. In turn, a lot of people commented on the blog and on the NYT article. The comments
on both the blog and the NYT article comprise one major part
of the sample project and we can examine the reaction of
readers being confronted with the statement: Children make
you unhappy.
In terms of project setup, a document was created for the
comments on the parenting blog and one for the comments
on the NYT articles. Thus, respondent characteristics like
whether they have children or not, or whether they are male
or female needed to be coded. Creating document groups for
male and female respondents or for parents and non-parents
would not have worked as each document contains responses
of many different people.
The question I would like to examine as example is: Do parents who report positive aspects of parenting also talk about
negative aspects?
The above question can however also be answered by creating just one smart code: The resulting query looks like this:
Figure 5: Building a more complex smart code to answer the
example question
Queries stored in a smart code can also be edited. Those who
attempted to edit super codes in the Windows version had
to be very brave… This has become very easy now. To modify
a smart code in the Mac version, simply open the Code Manager and right-click on a smart code. Select the option Edit
Query. This opens the Smart Code editor once again and you
can make changes to the existing query.
The code and code groups needed to find an answer to this
question are: code: #fam: have children / code group: effects
parenting: negative / code group: effects parenting: positive
I built the query in two steps: first, finding all statements
of parents (#fam: have children) about positive effects of
parenting and storing the result as smart code. Next, I use
this smart code in the second step to find out, whether those
respondents also report negative effects.
Figure 6: Modifying an existing smart code
We need to start the query with the code ‘#fam: have children’
(and not the other way around), as the quotations of that code
cover the full comment that a person has written. This is important as — in the next step — we need to look for statements
about negative effects of parenting that occur within the comment that also include statements on positive effects.
Above, I already pointed out that I added two hash tags (##)
to the smart code name. This makes it easier to find it in
the list of codes. As the codes are sorted in alphabetic order,
this pushes the codes on top of the code list. Otherwise they
“disappear” in the list of all other codes.
The smart code in Figure 4 is colored in green and I added two
hash tags (##) to the name. See below “Tips and tricks in
organizing smart codes”.
Tips and tricks in organizing smart codes
Smart codes are recognizable by the filled-in code icon, but I
still prefer to add a distinguishing color (here: bright green).
Further, I have created a code group with the name ‘*smart
codes’ that contain all my smart codes. This allows quicker
access. The effect of the asterisk (*) in the code group name
is that the code group ‘smart codes’ sits on top of the list.
Figure 7: Organizing smart codes
Figure 4: Building a query step by step
Newsletter 2015/1 – January 2015
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In future versions of the program, these workarounds may no
longer be necessary as the interface will be adjusted, e.g. by
displaying smart codes and normal codes in a separate area.
So stay tuned. Development is ongoing!
What’s next?
The plan for the first quarter 2015 is the release of the following functions in ATLAS.ti for Mac:
• Editing text documents
• Creating transcripts within ATLAS.ti
• The A-Doc feature — importing transcripts with time marks
• More “bells and whistles” for the network view function
• Being able to create output based on single objects, e.g. all
quotations of one code or all quotations resulting from a
smart code
• Being able to apply filters equivalent to the global filter
option in Windows
• Creating word clouds
• Further development of the smart code function into a fullfledged query tool
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Newsletter 2015/1 – January 2015
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Newsletter 2015/1 – January 2015
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